Lug-cleaner and plate-splitter



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LUG CLEANER MJD PLATE SPLITTER.

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LUG CLEANER AND PLATE SPLITTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 9. 1920- EMMENOW P'. E. NORRIS. LUG CLEANER AND PLATE SPLITTER.'

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. |920. Bl2@9, o Mmm Mw., 29, 11921,

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P. E-NORRIS.

LUG CLEANERAND PLATE S'PLITTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 9, 1920.

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P. E.-N0RR|S. LUG CLEANER AND PLATE SPLITTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9.1920.

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nnTTen sTaTes PATENT connues.

PAUL E. NORIRTS, 0F SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSTGNOR TO W'LLARD-STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application meel April 9, 1920. Serial No. l372,595.

To all 'whom it may 00a/cern.'

Be it known that l, PAUL E. Noiuzrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and Statejof Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lug- Cleaners and Plate-Splitters, of which the' following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a machine for cleaning the lugs of double Storage .battery plates and splitting the plates into single or individual plates so as to adapt them for storage battery use. The machine constituting thev subject matter of the present invention'fis an improvement over a lmachine for' cleaning and cutting thelug's' of single lates claimed in a copending application, berial No. 246,244, iled July 22, 1918.

In my prior application storage battery. plates are placed' in a magazine at one end of the machine and are carried therethrough by a continuously moving conveyer, past a saw and milling cutters which respectively cut oif the outer ends of the lugsand mill the' side faces thereof sothat when the plates are delivered at the opposite end of the machine the lugs are of uniform length and are lproperly shaped and cleaned for attachment to so-called straps which join them in groups.

By the present invention the output of the machine is increased, its operation is 1mproved, and the danger of injury to the plates as they are engaged one at a time and conveyed from the feed magazine by cleats of the conveyer is minimized.

In accordance with the present invention, so-called double plates with lugs projecting from both ends are conveyed through the machine by a pair of intermittently moving conveyer chains or equivalent means, and by the provision of two sets of cutting tools' past which the double plates are conveyed, and by the provision of a suitable cutting device preferably in the form of a reciprocating punch the two lugs of each double plate are sawed and milled, andthe plates are subsequently split in two, and at the same time the cut edges are appropriately shaped so as to provide feet at the cutting plane.

By-operating the conveyeichains intermittently, and by properly locating or spacing the feed magazine, the lug cutting tools and the punch, the cleats on the conveyer chains can be caused to engage the plates in the feed magazine'near the start of the intermittent movements so as not to injure them, the plates can be conveyed past the -tools which cut' and mill the lugs when the In the accompanying sheets of drawin is. y wherein I have shown an embodiment of t e invention which operates effectively, Figure l is a side view of the major portion of the machine withcertain parts broken away; Fig..2 is a top plan view with the punch press or plate splitting part removed; Fig.

` 3vis an en'd view looking/toward the left of lig. 1; Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view` substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. l,

looking in the direction indicated by .thel

arrows; Fig. 5 is a sectional view substan, tially along the line 5-'5 of Fig. l, looking QUA.'

in the direction indicated bythe arrows; i

Fig. 6 is a View somewhat similar to Fig. 1, but omitting many of the parts so as to show more clearly than in Fig. l of the operation of the machine;v Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the double storage battery' plates which are passed through the machine; and Fig. 8 shows the manner in which the double storage battery plate is split into single plates and the shape of the section which is punched from the middle 'of the double plate.

rlthe machine includes a main frame 10, on which is mounted all operating parts including the conveying means by which the Storage battery plates to be operated on are" carried y,through the machine. In this instance a pair of sprocket wheels 11v are provided at each end of the machine, and these drive two conveyer chains 12 which are arranged side by side and travel at the same speed, said'chains consisting of flat plates 12a connected together by links 12b. At the ftop of the machine the plates of the chains i12 travel over guide rails 13, which with ,tween the sides of the frame 10.-

l At the receiving or feeding end of the machine which is at the left hand end of Fig. 1, a table 16 is provided, a portion only of which is shown, and on this table the plates to beoperatedon are stacked by an operator.

Adjacent the table is a so-called feed magazine 17 which is supported on the sides of the frame and extends across over the conveyer chains 12. This feed magazine contains a vertically adjustable plate 17 a against which thestorage battery plates 18 to'b e operated on, bear, as clearly shown 1n Fig. The lower outer face of this plate 17a 1s beveled or tapered as shown in Fig. 6, so that the plates 18 near the bottom of the stack can become somewhat staggered as indicated in said ligure, and the loweredge of the magazine plate 17. will be just sufficiently above the conveyer chains vthat the storage batteryvplates 18 can be fed from the magazine, one'at a time, from the bottom of the stack. Asis shown in Fig. 2, each plate 18 is supported equally and symmetrically on two oppositely disposed conveyer plates 121,\with the lugs 18aL which projectfrom `opposite ends of the storage battery plates 18, extending beyond the outer side edges of the conveyer chains so that they may be operated on by the cutting tools subsequently to be described. The conveyer vplates 12a are provided at their outer rear corners with L-shaped cleats 12c which engage the outer rear'corners of the storage battery plates 18, and thus at each movement of the chain a plate 18 at the bottom of the stack in the feed magazine is engaged by a pair of these cleats, and by the latter are conveyed forwardly from the feed magazine and are positioned or held in proper position on the' conveyer plates until after the splitting operation.

As the plates 18 leave the feed magazine they pass under a yieldable or spring-pressed shoe 19, supported on the rear side of the magazine, as shown in Fig, 6, and tlfen they pass under a pair of upper auxiliary belts 20, the lower portions of which are engaged by a series of spring-pressed rollers 21 which cause these belts to press the storage battery plates 18 down onto the conveyer chains while the lugs 18al are being sawed and milled. As the plates 18 arel conveyed through the machine, and while pressed down onto the conveyer chains by the belts 2O as just stated, the ends of both lugs 18a of the plates are sawed off by a pair of roveyer chains, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. After the plates 18 pass the saws 22, the upper and lower faces of both lugs are milled off by being carried between two pairs of milling cutters 23, also located alongside the conveyer chains just beyond the saws 22, the cutters of each pair being located one above the other.' The saws are supported on two short horizontal shafts 24 j ournaled in bearings at the sides of the machine and provided at'their outer ends with belt pulleys 25. The millin cutters are supported on short shafts 26 at t e outer ends of which are belt pulleys 27. The saws and milling cutters are .rotated-at high speed by belts 28 and 29 which are provided at both sides of the machine, which belts are driven by pulleys 30 provided at both ends of a horizontal cross-shaft 31 which in this instance is driven by a belt 32 which passes about a driving pulley 33 on a lower cross-shaft 34, driven by a motor 35 (see particularly Fig. 5).

After the plates 18 have been carried by the intermittent movements of the conveyer chains, first from the feed magazine, then past the saws, and then between the milling cutters 23, by the further intermittent movements they are carried out from the holddown belts 20 and then pass under a pair of spring actuated presser plates orl strips 36 which extend lengthwise of the conveyer chains, and are located one centrally above each conveyer chain. These strips 36 are yieldin ly supported from a pair of crossyokes 3 which are secured to the sides of the mainI frame and extendl across the conveyer chains above the latter. Then while pressed downward and firmly held against the conveyer chains by the presser strips 36, the plates pass over and come to rest, one at a' time on the die 38 of a punch press 39 having a vertically reciprocating intermittently operated punch 40 which punches a strip l18b from the middle of the double plate 18, forming two separate or single plates 18C. The sections or strips 18h, cut `by the punch andA die from the middle of the double plates drop down through the machine and are diverted out to one side by a suitable chute, shown in Fig. 4. It will be observed 'that the-strips 18D thus cut out from the double plates are irregular in shape, the shape of the cut out sections being such as to give the adjacent ends of the single plates the desired contour shown in Fig. 8, and particularly to provide feet or lugs 18d at the bottom edges of the plates.

Next, by the further intermittent movements of the conveyer chains, the plates are conveyed out from beneath the presser strips 36, and finally leave the conveyer chains and preferably pass onto conveyer belts, not shown, which convey them away from\the machine or onto any other suitable receiving member.

terasse The punch 4() of the press 39 is carriedby 'a vertlcally reciprocating cross-head 41 which is reciprocated by a crank or eccentric on a power shaft 42 at the top of the press, which shaft is, in this instance, rotated by a belt 43 driven by a motor44, shown in 3. he punch is operated intermittently through mechanism to be described, which at the proper instants causes the power shaft.

To bring this about, properly cordinated clutch controlling and conveyer actuating mechanisms are required. 1n this instance the power to intermittently move the conveyer chains and to actuate the clutch controlling the punch press is derived from the motor 35, which as already explained, drives the saws and milling cutters. As. will be 4 seen by reference particularly to Fig. 1, this motor 35, through the medium of a belt 46, drives a transverse shaft 47, having a pinion 48 y(see Fig. 4) which pinion engagesa gear 49 on a transverse shaft 50. This shaft hasa pinion 51 which drives a gear 52 on a transverse shaft 53 supported at the delivery end of the machine, as shown'in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

- On the end of shaft 53 opposite that to which the gear 52 is secured, is a crank 54 which is connected by'a connecting rod. 55 to a swinging arm 56 which -is loosely mounted on a shaft 57 to which the sprocket wheels. 11 at lthe delivery end of themachine are attached. By the continuous rotation ofthe crank 54 oscillating movements equalto the distance from the center of onel` chain plate 12? to the center of the adjoineach lrevolution of the sha are imparted to the arm 56, and on each down stroke a spring pressed pawl 58 by en. gagmg a ratchet wheel 59 which is secured to the shaft 57, turns the shaft 57 .through a predetermined' ortion of a revolution, and hence moves tii determined amount, which in practice is ing plate.

' n order"that the punch` press clutch may be operated so as tocause the punch to be lowered as soon as'the conveyer comes to rest, 1 provide'on theshaft 53 lcarrying the rotating crank 54, a cam member 60 wlth a cam lug 61 which is so ositioned that on Et 53, and at the desired point of each revolution 'engages a roller 62 which is connected inany suitable Imanner to operate the punch press clutch, and which in this instance is mounted on an e conveyer chains a prea arm 63jof a rock-shaft 64 (see Fig. 1) having an upstanding arm 65 connected by a link 66 to a bell-crank 67 having a-horizontal arm to which a clutchrod 68 is attached, and which extends upward alongside the frame of-the punchpress to the clutch. It will be understood without showing the details of the clutch, which can be of any suitable form, such as ordinarily employed on intermittently. operating'` punch presses, that the rocking movement imparted to the arm 63 by the cam 60, and the consequent downward movement imparted to the clutchv rod 68 is sucient to cause one revolution of the power shaft of the press so that the punch of the press will be lowered, elevated, and then stopped until the cam 60 again rocks the arm 63 following the next movement of the conveyer chains.

The machine is operated in the following manner: rlhe motors 35 and 44 are started, .whereupon the lug cutting saws .and lug millingcutters are rotated at high speed, and the conveyer chains and punch press are operated intermittently. The operator places a stack-of storage battery plates in the feed magazine, and at each movement of the chains a A plate is taken from the bottom of the stack and fed forwardly from the magazine. 0n leaving the magazine they pass under the yieldable shoe 19 which prevents the rear edges of the plates kicking 'up from the cleats of the conveyer chainsv as the plates pass under the hold-down belts .20. Thenthe plates pass forward step by step, and in so doing the lugs are first carried 'past the cutting saws and are cut olf to the proper length; then between the milling cutters which clean and brighten opposite sides 'and reduce 'them to the proper ithickness; then they are carried underneath the presser lates or strips 36 directly over the die of t e punch press, and while stationary thereon by the action of the punch of the punch press they are divided into two equal sectlons, and then they are carried on singly or as individual storage battery plates tothe deliveryend of the machine.

The various operating parts are so located,x

and the operations of the punch press and conveyer chains are so timed that the cleats on the plates of the conveyer chains engage.` lthe storage-battery plate at-the bottom of the stack at the'start of the movement of the conveyer chains and while they are still moving slowly, and the lugs of the storage battery plates are carried past the saws, and

Aduring the' subsequent movement past the milling-cutters at about themiddle portions of the conveyer chain movements, or while the plates, are being conveyed at approximately the maximum speed.A 1n other Words, the intermittent movement imparted to the conveyer chains is not only important formed.

in bringing about a cessatlon of movement during the punching operations, but due to the slow initial movement of the cleats at the time they engage and start moving the storage battery plates, no injury is done to the latter as they are engaged by the cleats and started in motion, and at the same time the necessary high speed movement to obtain effect-ive results occurs between the lugs of the plates and the rotary tools which operate on them. By reason of these features just -mentioned, though rapid intermittent movements are imparted to the conveyer cha-ins so that the output of the machine is large, still the parts function in such a manner that the storage battery plates while being handled in the machine are not in the least injured or bent, and danger of clogging the machine is minimized. n

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a co-nveyer for conveying through the machine double storage battery .plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, lug cutting tools arranged along both sides 0f the conveyer, and a plate cutting device for cutting the plate transversely.

2. In amachine of the character described, a frame, conveying means for conveying through the machine double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, rotary lug cutting tools located at both sides, of the conveying means, and a reciprocating plate splitting device located beyond the cutting tools and adapted to cut the plates lengthwise of the direction of feed.

3. In a machine of the character described, a frame, conveying means for conveying through the machine.A double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, lug cutting tools at both sides of the conveying means, and a pla-te cutting device arranged beyond the lug cutting tools centrally with respect to the conveying means and serving to divide the double plates by cutting them transversely. l

4. In a machine ofthe character described, a frame, conveying means for conveying through the machine double storage battery plates with lugs at both ends thereof, lug cutting tools located at both sides of the conveying means, reciprocating plate cutting means for cutting the plates transversely thereof and at thel'same time forming irregular edges on the single plates thus 5. In a machine of the character described, a frame, conveying means for conveying through the machine double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, lug cutting tools located along both sides of the conveying means, and a reciprocating punch located beyond the lug cutting tools between the side edges of the conveying Lamaze means for cutting transverse strips from the middle portions of the plates so as to divide them into single plates and to form feet at the cut edges thereof.

6. In a machine of the character described, a frame, conveying means for conveying through the machine double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, lug cutting tools located at opposite sides of the conveying means, a cutting device for cutting the plates transversely into single plates, and means for operating the conveying means.

7. In a machine of the character described, a frame, feed mechanism adapted to receive a stack of double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, conveying means having plate engaging devices for engagingA and feeding the plates one atv atime from the bottom of the stack and for conveying them through the machine, lug cutting tools located laterally on both sides of the center line of the conveying means, and a plate cutting device located beyond the lug cutting tools centrally of the conveying means for cutting the double plates transversey into single plates.

8. n a machine of the character described, a frame, feed mechanism adapted to receive a stack of double Storage battery plates withV lugs at opposite ends thereof, conveying means having plate engaging devices for engaging and feeding the plates one at a time from -the bottom of the stack and for conveying them through the machine,'lug cutting tools located laterally on both sides of the center line of the conveying means, a-

plate cutting device located -beyond the lug cutting tools centrally of the conveying means for cutting the ldouble plates transversely into single plates, and. means for moving the conveying means intermittentl 9. In a machine of the character described, a frame, feed mechanism adapted to receive a Stack of double storage battery plates with lugs at opposite ends thereof, conveying means having plate engaging devices for enlconveying means having plate engaging de- 4gaging and feeding plates one at a time from the bottom of the stack and for conveying vices for engaging and feeding the plates one at a time from the bottom of the stack and for conveying them through the machine lug cutting tools located laterally on both sides of the center line of the conveying means, a plate cutting device located beyondthe lug cutting tools for cutting the double plates transversely into single plates, the conveying means comprising tWo separate conveyer chains arranged side by side and operated simultaneously, and means for operating said chains intermittently.

intervals withcleats for engaging-the outer rear corners of the plates, lug cutting tools arranged onopposite sides of said conveyers, a die located between the conveyers beyond the lug cutting tools, a reciprocating punch adapted to coperate with the die to punch irregular sections from the middle portions of the plates and thereby form single plates with feet at the cut edges, means for driving the lug cutting tools continuously, and means for operating the conveying means and the punch intermittently, the conveying means by its intermittent movements bringing the plates one at a time centrally over the die, and the punch operating on the plates between the intermittent movements.

ln testimony whereof, I hereunto atIiX-my signature.

PAUL E. NORRIS. 

